A Whole New Beginning
by MissaSissa
Summary: What if magic never existed? What if Henry never existed? This story puts a spin on our beloved show, starting right from the beginning.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I have been reading some OUAT mental hospital fanfictions, and this idea popped into my head. So, here's the result. Enjoy!**

Mayor Regina Mills sat in the small study in her mansion, nursing a migraine and a cup of tea while she finished some paperwork. There was so much work to be done, so little time. Her assistant Sidney needed the property values reports done by Monday and tomorrow she was to attend a town meeting for sheriff elections.

A knock at the door disrupted her concentration. Annoyed, she glanced up at the clock. It was 12 o'clock at night. Everyone in the town knew better than to bother her past eight. Nonetheless, she got up and answered the door. "Yes?" She snapped, seeing a young woman standing on her porch. She didn't recognize her at all, and that just added to her irritation.

"Um, hi. My name is Emma Swan. I'm sorry for bothering you so late, but your son showed up at my apartment in Boston. I thought I would return him before his mother got too worried. He said this was his house."

Regina stared at the blonde in confusion. "My son? I don't have a son, Miss Swan." She said. The mayor expected the woman to apologize for being so rude and mistaking her for another person or admit to this being a joke, but she was surprised to see the stranger was dead serious. Instead the blonde laughed and made a gesture as if she was pushing something. "Go inside, Henry. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Are you drunk, Miss Swan?" Regina asked, on guard. The woman looked taken aback, and her eyes furrowed in confusion. "No. I was being responsible and bringing you your son. You are Regina Mills, right?"

Now it was Regina's turn to be confused. How in the hell did this woman knew who she was, let alone where she lived? Talking about children that didn't exist, _seeing_ children that didn't exist. Regina had to get away from this woman, and fast. She was obviously crazy.

The brunette smiled politely and looked the blonde up and down. "How would you like the best glass of apple cider you ever tasted?" She asked. "Got anything stronger?" The blonde smiled, meeting her eyes. Regina stepped aside to let her in, cautiously following behind her. "Nice house." The woman commented. "What did you say your name was again?" Regina asked, pouring both of them glasses of cider. "Emma."

The mayor simply nodded and led her to the den. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back."

As soon as she was out of earshot, she quickly dialed Sheriff Graham's number. "Hello?" A voice on the other end answered sleepily. "Graham, its Regina. I need you to come to my house right away." She said quietly, peeking into the den. "What is it?" Graham asked, alert now. "A woman showed up at my doorstep and I think she's mentally unwell. She says she brought back my son. I have her distracted but I need you to come take her to the station." Regina explained. "On my way." The sheriff answered, hanging up.

The brunette hid her nervousness, smoothing out her dress before joining the blonde. "Look, I'm sorry about your kid. You must have been worried sick when you found out he was missing." Emma said. Regina decided to play along. "Of course. Thank you for returning him."

The two sat in awkward silence for a few moments. "So, how did you know my son?" Regina asked. The blonde finished her cider and set it down before speaking. "Well, 10 years ago I kinda got together with this guy and then he framed me for a crime I didn't commit. 9 months later I had a son. I was only 18 at the time and I was in prison so I gave him up. It's good to know he found a good home." Emma said.

"So you've never heard of Storybrooke, then?" The mayor questioned. The blonde shook her head. "Nope. Henry showed me how to get here and well, here I am. The weird thing is, I had just finished making a wish on this cupcake I was eating, and it was to not be alone on my birthday. Then your son- _my_ son- showed up. Crazy, right?"

" _Yes you are."_ The mayor thought to herself. Instead, she sipped her cider until she heard another knock at the door. "Excuse me." Regina said, getting up to answer it. Graham came inside, gun in his hand and ready to drag the woman out. "Graham wait." Regina grabbed his arm as he headed towards the den. He stopped and looked at her. "What?"

"Maybe she should stay here for tonight. I mean, it's already late enough as it is, and she doesn't seem dangerous." The brunette suggested. "Regina, are you crazy? A stranger shows up on your doorstep and starts talking about a son that doesn't exist and you want to spend the night alone with her? She is obviously a stalker, she knew which house was yours and who you were." Graham argued.

"I have you on speed dial. If anything happens, I'll let you know." Regina said. "I don't feel safe leaving you."

"Is everything alright?" The two turned to see Emma standing in the doorway. "Everything's fine, Miss Swan. Sheriff Graham here just noticed the yellow bug outside my house and came over to check on me since he hadn't seen it here in town before." Regina quickly answered.

The blonde smiled and looked out at the vehicle. "Yep, that's mine. One of my only possessions." She said. "Do you mind if I take a look inside it? Since you're new to town and all." Graham asked. "Sure." The woman led the two outside. After a thorough search, all Graham found was a storybook. "Oh, that's Henry's. He must have left it. Will you give it to him?" She handed Regina the worn book.

"Of course." The mayor answered, flipping it open. "All it has are fairytales. The kid says that this town is magic and is under some sort of curse. He called me the Savior or something like that. Quite an imagination he's got." Emma chuckled. Regina and Graham exchanged a quick glance, laughing politely. " _This woman really is nuts. Now she's talking about magic and curses?_ " Regina thought.

"Since it's so late, why don't you stay at the station? I have another cot you can sleep on." Graham suggested. Regina gave him a grateful look. "Okay. Is it alright if I come by and see Henry tomorrow? Unless you have other plans this weekend." The blonde asked. "Sure. How about I call you?" Regina answered. The blonde quickly jotted down her phone number before getting in the bug to follow Graham. "I'll do a background check on her and find out who she really is." The sheriff informed her before leaving.

Forgetting all about her important paperwork, Regina started reading through the storybook, looking for clues as to who this woman was. There was something peculiar about Emma Swan, and she was going to find out what.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time Regina had gotten halfway through the storybook, the sun was rising and she still hadn't finished the paperwork she had started the night before. Glancing at the clock she realized it was 5 in the morning. Five hours, and she still hadn't found any clues as to who the mysterious woman really was.

The mayor sighed and set the book down before going upstairs to shower and get ready for the day. When she got out she already noticed that Sidney had called her seven times. Rolling her eyes, she dialed his number. She wondered how the poor neurotic man functioned. He was so anxious about everything it was a miracle he lived this long without having a heart attack.

"Regina I've been calling you for 30 minutes! Are you coming to help set up for the sheriff elections?" The man answered. "Well hello to you too, Sidney." Regina said, struggling to keep the sarcasm at bay. "I have another commitment to attend to, I'm afraid. But surely you can take care of things in my absence."

Silence on the other end. Then, "Of course. However, we have been planning this election for months. What could possibly be so important as to not attend?"

"That is my business, Sidney. I'll have your reports to you by Monday morning." With that, she hung up. She reached in her pocket and grabbed the phone number Emma had written down and dialed the number. Straight to voicemail. Figures.

So she sat down with another cup of tea and finished the reports before faxing them to Sidney. That should keep him off her back for a while. A knock at the door once again interrupted her. She got up to answer and was surprised to see the stranger standing on her doorstep. "Miss Swan." She said dryly. "It's rather rude to come over without calling me back first, don't you think?"

"Cut the crap, Regina. Henry found me at Granny's. You think you would keep a closer watch on him since he managed to leave town on his own, but obviously not. I noticed he has a few questionable marks on him." The blonde said menacingly. Regina tried not to roll her eyes. When was this woman going to stop?

"Where is he?" Regina asked, deciding to keep up the charade a little while longer until Graham gave her some information. "He's in the car." Emma motioned to the bug pulled up in front of the house. Regina noticed her front tire was just barely edging onto the well-manicured lawn, and she fought hard not to say something. She needed to find out who this Emma Swan was.

"Did you hurt him?" Emma's voice caught her attention. "What?"

"I said did you _hurt_ my son? He won't tell me anything. And he sure as hell doesn't want to come back here." The blonde growled, coming closer. Regina stood her ground, her head held high. "No, Miss Swan, I didn't hurt him. Little boys get hurt all the time. You would know that if you hadn't given him up for adoption." The brunette knew she hit a nerve when Emma's mouth dropped open in surprise.

Something happened to this young woman, and despite her irritation, Regina wanted to help. She didn't believe in magic, and she sure as hell didn't believe what this woman was saying, but she did believe in fate. There had to have been a reason she found this town, found Regina. "Madame Mayor." Both women looked to see Sheriff Graham enter the front gate. "I uh, have those reports you wanted."

Emma turned back to face her. "I'm watching you, lady. When I find out the truth- and I will- and if it turns out you've been hurting him, I can guarantee that you will never see him again."

As soon as the bug was headed down the street, Graham handed Regina a file. "There's not much here. She grew up an orphan, she was in the foster system in Boston her whole life. A few little jobs here and there, no mention of a son at all." Graham explained. "Who's this?" Regina pointed to a name. "Neal Cassidy."

"No idea. I tried to search for the name but there's so many people I didn't have any luck pinpointing exactly who he was." The sheriff answered. "It says here they were both in the same foster system in Boston. Maybe he knows something." The mayor mused. "It's a long shot, but you could try it. Do you want me to keep searching for some clues as to who he is?" Graham asked.

Regina closed the file, waving her hand in dismissal. "No, thank you. Just keep Emma Swan busy. I know someone who can help me find this man."

Graham nodded and left her alone. Regina grabbed her cell phone and headed to the square, going into the pawn shop. "Madame Mayor. What a surprise." The man behind the counter limped over to greet her. "How may I be of service?"

"Mr. Gold. I have a proposition for you. You're an expert at finding people, I need you to find this man. Neal Cassidy. The last place this file said he was at is in Boston. I need you to find a website, a phone number, something." Regina answered. "Would this have anything to do with the new woman in town? Emma Swan?" Gold asked. "How do you know her?" The brunette asked suspiciously. "She came into my shop. She said her son Henry was showing her around town."

"She's delusional. She thinks he's my adopted son as well. Somehow she found this town and found me. I'm trying to find out who exactly she is, which is why I need you to find this man." The mayor huffed impatiently. "I suppose I could do so. But what's in it for me, dearie?"

"I'll let you choose another business to take ownership of." Regina offered. The man thought for a second. Then he slowly nodded. "You've got yourself a deal. I'll call you when I've found something." He said. Regina nodded, making her way to Granny's. She was surprised to see Emma sitting at a table, drinking hot cocoa and reading a newspaper. "Miss Swan."

The blonde looked up, her eyes narrowing as she realized who was talking to her. "You're alone, I see." The mayor noted, sitting down across from her. "Henry said he was going to play with a friend. Unlike you, I know where he's at." The woman said, taking a sip of her drink. "I didn't come here to argue, Emma. I just figured since you're the birth mother of my son I should at least get to know you."

Emma looked surprised, but no longer angry. Ruby brought Regina over her regular order of tea. "There you are, Madame Mayor." The waitress said before leaving the two alone again. "What do you want to know?" The blonde asked. "How did you end up in prison?" Regina asked. Emma set down her drink, avoiding her eyes. "Well, I was seeing this guy and he told me he worked as a bail bonds person. After getting to know him, I realized I really liked him. He offered to introduce me to his boss, and that's how I ended up working with him."

Emma looked up, and Regina nodded at her to continue. "It turns out he was working undercover for some loan shark, and he tricked me into helping him. We met up with some perps, and then the cops showed up. I didn't get away fast enough, so I was caught red-handed with stolen jewelry and a suitcase full of money from a bank that had just gotten robbed. I was in prison for a year."

"What was this man's name?" Regina questioned. Emma became guarded again. "No, it's my turn to ask you something. You are my son's mother, after all." She said. "Alright. Fair enough." The older woman complied. "Honestly, are you hurting Henry?"

Regina wanted to get angry, but seeing that the younger woman was seriously concerned about the well-being of this imaginary child, she decided to cooperate. "Emma, I would never hurt him. I would never hurt any child. There's a reason why I adopted him. Henry saved me, he means the whole world to me."

Emma nodded, and Regina could tell she believed her. Honestly, the mayor didn't exactly care for children. They were loud and rude and impatient. She was quite content running a town of independent adults, although some of them acted more like children, it seemed. "I guess I should apologize. Boys will be boys, and I should know better than to jump to conclusions. I guess that's what happens when you find criminals for a living." Emma chuckled, and Regina smiled politely.

This woman may be crazy, but she was smart. And there was just something about her that the mayor couldn't quite put her finger on. "So where are you staying, Miss Swan?" She asked. "Graham offered for me to stay at the station for now until I found a place. I thought I would stay in town for a week or so." The blonde said. "How would you like to stay with me?" The words were out of her mouth before Regina could stop them. Emma looked surprised, but she smiled. "That would be great. I'm sure Henry would love that."

A few days later, Emma was set up in one of the guest rooms. Graham had fought against Regina's decision, insisting the woman was still dangerous, but Regina wouldn't change her mind. What better way to get to know Emma? She was surprised to feel an almost maternal instinct when she was with the younger woman. And who knows? Maybe this would be good for both of them.


	3. Chapter 3

A week after Emma was officially moved in, Regina woke up at 5 in the morning and padded down to the woman's room, quietly peeking her head in the door. She was surprised to see the bed neatly made and the few boxes she had brought with her sitting unpacked. It was as if she hadn't slept at all.

The brunette turned back around and was just about to descend the stairs when she heard soft crying coming from another room. She quietly walked down the hall to see the blonde curled up on the bed, her shoulders shaking from crying. She couldn't help but notice that Emma had said this was Henry's room and had admired the decorations, although Regina had never used it.

Emma was holding a grey and red striped scarf and was hiding her face in it. Regina decided to give the girl some privacy and went downstairs to make some tea for her and coffee for her guest. After calling Graham and checking in with him as he insisted she do three times a day, the mayor sat down and started going over the new health regulations for the restaurants around town.

At about 9 in the morning the blonde stumbled downstairs and poured herself a cup of coffee. "Henry didn't wake me up when he left." She said. "I told him to let you sleep. I sent him off to school." Regina answered. She had a sneaking suspicion that the young woman wasn't as crazy as she once thought. Something had happened to her. She had gone through hell and back, and Regina was going to help her.

"How did you sleep?" The mayor continued the conversation. "Fine. I um, crawled in with Henry last night. I hope you don't mind; I just couldn't sleep. I didn't wake him." Emma answered. "It's quite alright. This house takes some getting used to. It's so big often times I find myself getting lost." Regina chuckled and was happy to see she made Emma smile.

"So what's on your agenda for the day, Madame Mayor?" The blonde asked. Regina took a drink of tea and flipped the file she had closed. "I decided to take a couple days off from work. With Graham being elected sheriff again, my assistant can take care of the office for a few days. If you are deciding to stick around Miss Swan, you should know your way around town."

"You- you want to show me around?" Emma asked, surprised. "We are roommates after all. I suggest you be ready in 30 minutes or I'm going to leave without you." The older woman nonchalantly looked down at her paperwork again. "Alright. But I'm driving." Emma smirked and twirled her keys in her hand.

Soon, a very annoyed Regina sat in the passenger seat of the yellow bug, staring out the window and trying to drown out the tone deaf lyrics coming from the blonde's mouth, barely heard over the hideous choice of music. "Miss Swan, if you don't mind. I have a headache."

Regina wasn't lying, she was starting to think she should have gone to work. I mean, what was she thinking? She's never offered any sort of affection for anyone in town, and now she's letting a complete stranger move in with her. Not to mention she's keeping up this little charade with their "son".

"Uh, Regina? We're here." The mayor looked over to see Emma waiting for her, the car no longer running. She put on a smile and climbed out of the car, leading the way to the docks. "This is nice." Emma remarked, sitting on the edge of the wooden platform and taking off her boots, dipping her feet into the water.

"I don't come out her much. I prefer indoors, somewhere clean with less germs." Regina made a face at the dirty water that was contaminating the younger woman's feet. "Oh come on, Madame Mayor. You can't stay in that little bubble of yours forever. No wonder Henry is so uptight." Emma patted the spot next to her. Regina rolled her eyes but found herself sitting down. She'd have to remember to take this pantsuit into the dry cleaners later. "Put your feet in. It feels really nice." The blonde coaxed her. Regina scoffed and shook her head. "I prefer to keep my immune system healthy, thank you."

Emma stood up, frowning. "Alright. You leave me no choice."

Regina gasped as she found herself falling forward into the water. "MISS SWAN!" She shrieked once she resurfaced. Emma giggled and jumped in, splashing the already soaked mayor. "How dare you!" Regina gripped the wooden dock to pull herself up, but the blonde pulled her back. "You're already in. Have some fun."

Regina glared at the woman, but slowly a smile crept on her face. She splashed Emma and she was met with a wave of water covering her. Soon, both women were laughing and swimming around. _"This is actually fun."_ Regina thought. For the first time in years, she was truly enjoying herself.

A few minutes later they both were lying side by side on the warm wood, staring at the clouds. Regina shivered as the wind picked up, and Emma handed over her red jacket. The brunette smiled gratefully and slipped it over her shoulders. "So what's your story, Regina?" Emma asked.

Regina felt an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach. She didn't discuss her personal life with anyone. She didn't even like to think about it herself. "There's nothing much to tell. I was basically born to be the mayor of this town, thanks to my mother." Regina looked down, away from those piercing green eyes.

"I can tell you really enjoy your job." The blonde joked. Regina gave her a small smile, and Emma's smile became more serious. She reached a hand out and intertwined their fingers. The older woman masked her surprise and slowly allowed herself to relax. "Yeah, I guess it's not the most entertaining job in the world. But you take what you can get." She sighed and lay back again.

"That's not true." Emma rolled over to face her. "If you want to change something, then do it. People are going to tell you who you are your whole life. You just gotta punch back and say no, _this_ is who I am. You want people to look at you differently? _Make them_. If you want to change things you're gonna have to go out there and change them yourself because there are no fairy godmothers in this world."

Regina stared at the blonde, seeing her in a whole new light. Tears started to fill Emma's eyes and she sat up, pulling her hand away. The older woman slowly sat up too, feeling empathetic. Something stirred inside her and she moved closer. "I was young and reckless, and _stupid_. I opened myself up and it backfired in my face. I gave away my son and I regret it every single day of my life. I lost him."

Regina hugged Emma without even thinking about it. It was as if the sensible part of her brain was turned off and all she wanted to do was fix this broken woman. Regina pulled away and put a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Regina. For taking such good care of him all these years."

Regina simply nodded. "Hey, it's almost 1 o'clock. Did you want to get something from Granny's? She makes the most amazing homemade meals."

Emma smiled and Regina stood up, offering the woman her hand. "We should probably get changed first." The blonde giggled and lead the way to her car.

After showering and changing again, the two sat in Granny's and chatted while waiting for their food. "Hello, Madame Mayor. Who's your friend?" Ruby asked as she set down the two plates of food. "This is Emma. She's new to town and I thought I'd show her around." Regina answered. "Hi." Emma said through a mouthful of grilled cheese. She swallowed before continuing. "Regina offered to let me stay with her so I can spend time with Henry."

Ruby looked confused, and she glanced at the older woman. "Hen- "

"If you wouldn't mind, could you get me a slice of lemon for my water?" Regina cut in before the waitress could continue. "Sure thing! Nice to meet you, Emma." She smiled and left the two alone. "So, Emma, tell me something." The blonde leaned forward and smirked at her, making her stomach do a summersault. "What's your favorite color?"

The question caught the younger woman off guard and she blinked. "Uh, yellow. As you can tell from my bug. What about you?" She took a drink of her cocoa. "Red. It's dark, passionate. Yellow is a bit too bright for me." The mayor chuckled and thanked Ruby as she brought over the lemon. "It's warm and sunny. Hopeful." Emma said.

After touring around town for the rest of the afternoon, the women went back to the mansion. "Red wine okay?" Regina grabbed a couple wine glasses for the two of them. "Sure. Might as well take the opportunity while Henry's spending the night at his friend's." Emma answered. The mayor decided not to comment and instead handed the blonde a full glass before pouring one for herself.

"You know, I'm really thankful that you let me into Henry's life. It's really helped me. Connecting with Henry, getting to know his mother…" Emma trailed off and took a drink. "Emma, I-" Regina wanted to grab the woman and shake some sense into her, tell her the truth and begin to help her accept the fact that Henry wasn't real and something was wrong inside her head. But seeing the bittersweet look on her face, she just couldn't. Not yet.

Then those bright green eyes met hers again. So she simply intertwined their fingers and leaned back against the couch, feeling the warmth from the fire softly heating their hands. "You know Emma, in a way you're my best friend. I- I've only known you a week but it just feels so comfortable talking to you, being with you."

The blonde slowly pulled away from her. "I can't do this, Regina. You're my son's mother and I am forever grateful of the fact that you gave him a home when I couldn't, but I just can't."

Regina watched her set the cup down, silent for a moment. "Emma all I want is a chance to be your friend. I've been alone in this world for so long, and then you come into my life and I feel like- like I finally have someone."

Emma turned to look at her again. "Getting close to people isn't what I do. You open yourself up, you get hurt. I did that once. It nearly ruined my life."

Regina nodded, hurt. "I see. I shouldn't have said anything."

Emma shook her hand and grasped her hand once more. "Thank you. I underestimated you, and now I realize I was completely wrong. I want to be your friend. I want to know you. You're a beautiful person and you're closed off and guarded and I want to break through that wall. I don't want to be afraid anymore." Tears in her eyes she ever so gently tightened the grip on her hand and leaned back so they were side by side.

Watching the young woman, Regina knew this was a cry for help. Emma knew something was wrong, she didn't feel right. And Regina would be here to help her when she finally learned the truth.

 **Hello! So I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to leave a comment below, I love reading them! Much love.**


	4. Chapter 4

One week, then two, came and went by quickly. Regina started working full shifts again at the office, and she almost felt like she was her old self again. But every night she'd come home to Emma and they would watch movies or play games together. The mayor noticed Emma would talk about Henry less and less. He was always out somewhere. She stopped asking her questions about him as well. This should be a relief, but it worried Regina a lot. She really didn't _know_ Emma, and this could be the calm before the storm.

"Madame Mayor I needed those tax documents yesterday!" Sidney burst into the office, pacing back and forth. Regina let out a deep breath and rubbed her temples. Her mind was on other things and she couldn't focus. "I'm sorry, Sidney. I'll get them to you as soon as I can." She said through gritted teeth.

Graham came into the room quickly, out of breath. "I need you down at the hospital. Now." He said. Regina immediately stood up and grabbed her coat, following the sheriff out and leaving a rattled Sidney behind. "What is it?" She asked once they were in the car. Graham just shook his head and turned on his lights, stepping on the gas.

The car screeched to a halt in front of the emergency part of the hospital and Graham led the way inside. She stopped as she saw Emma surrounded by doctors and aggressively swinging an IV pole at them. "Miss Swan, please calm down!" Whale tried to grab the object but the blonde took a swing that nearly hit him. "I want to see my son! Where is Henry? You took him!" She screamed.

"Emma!" Regina called out. The woman looked over and when she saw her she immediately dropped the pole and came over, hysterical. "Regina something happened with Henry they brought him here I saw it and now they're lying and won't let me see him!" She panicked. "Emma. Emma calm down." Regina said gently.

"Miss Swan, Henry isn't real. We've never seen your son before." Whale said. "Regina is his mother!" Emma yelled at the doctor. She turned to the mayor and grasped her hands in her own. "Please Regina, tell them. Tell them the truth. Henry brought me here to Storybrooke and he's your son. Please."

Regina looked at the blonde sadly, tears filling her eyes. This was the moment she was dreading. She never should have let her stay or pretended for so long. "Emma he's not real. I don't have any children. You showed up on my doorstep one night and I let you stay because I wanted to help you. I'm sorry."

Emma pulled away from her, tears streaming down her face. "You're lying. He's real. My son is real. He was brought here. You did this. You hurt him. I knew from the minute I saw those bruises that something was wrong. And now he's- you evil bitch!"

The brunette was knocked to the ground and Emma climbed on top of her, nails scratching her face before she wrapped her hands around her throat. Regina clawed at the hands, gasping for air. Graham quickly sprang into action, and with Whales' help they pulled Emma off of her. "I trusted you! You were my friend! I hate you! I hate you!" She screamed over and over. Then she started clutching her stomach and crying out in pain. "It hurts!" She moaned.

Graham helped her up and they watched as Whale stuck a needle into the blonde's arm. Emma went limp, and she was taken to the back room. "Are you alright?" Whale asked, examining Regina. "I'm fine. I knew I shouldn't have let her stay with me. I just- I saw something in her and I thought I could break through that wall." She started to cry, and Graham put his arm around her.

"Madame Mayor." Regina turned to see Gold limp into the hospital. Whale handed her a tissue and she wiped her eyes. "Yes?" She said. "I found a phone number for Neal Cassidy, as well as a location. He is located in Boston." The man handed her a sheet of paper. "Thank you." Regina took out her phone and started to dial the number.

Graham gently grabbed her wrist. "Regina, what are you doing?" He asked. "I'm going to find out who this man is. He may be able to help Emma." She answered. "Even after all of this, you're still determined to help this woman? She's mentally unwell. She tried to hurt you."

She met his eyes, seeing how worried he was. "Maybe, but the time we spent together was real. She's still a person, Graham. She's my friend. I can't just abandon her now." She stepped away and called the number. "Hello?" A man's voice answered. "Is this Neal Cassidy?" The mayor asked. "Who is this?" The man asked, on guard. "My name is Regina Mills, and I'm mayor of Storybrooke. I was hoping you could tell me about a woman named Emma Swan."

"Emma. Is she okay? Where is she?" The man started to panic. "She's here in Storybrooke. She arrived here a couple weeks ago and she has been staying with me ever since. However, we seemed to have an incident with her. She's fine, but she's in the hospital." The mayor listened and was met with silence on the other end. "God, Emma. I can't handle this. Yes, I'm Neal Cassidy." The man seemed to be talking to himself. "Could we meet?" Regina asked. "Alright. If you can make it to Boston, I'll give you an address."

The mayor hung up and went back inside to inform Graham that she was leaving. "I'm coming with you." The sheriff said, following her back to the police cruiser. "No. I need you to stay here and watch Emma. Let me know how she's doing."

Graham slammed on the brakes and pulled the car over. "Damn it, Regina! Do you know how crazy this sounds? You let a stranger into your home, a _psychotic_ woman, despite my pleas. Then you go along with this crazy make believe story of hers, and now even after she attacked you, you want to go meet a grown man by yourself in a city you've hardly been to. If he was affiliated with Miss Swan in any way, he could be mental as well!"

Regina stared out the window, trying to keep her cool. "I appreciate your concern, Sheriff. But in case you weren't aware, I am a grown woman and also the mayor. I need to help Emma. I know it's crazy, but I care about her. Something's wrong inside her head, and I watched her struggle day after day and I couldn't do anything. Please. Just let me do this."

Graham gently turned her head so she was looking into his eyes. Then he leaned forward and ever so gently touched his lips to hers before pulling away. The whole moment lasted seconds, but Regina felt her heart jump nonetheless. "Okay. But you need to promise you will update me every 30 minutes. I don't want to see you get hurt."

The brunette reached a hand up to stroke his face before softly returning a kiss. "I promise."

He held her gaze for a few seconds longer before starting the car again and driving her home. An hour later she was packed and headed on the road. When she arrived in Boston she checked into the hotel she had booked a room at and called Neal. "You made it. I'll meet you in 30 minutes at Render Coffee."

Soon, she was walking into the coffee shop. She suddenly realized she had no idea what this man looked like. "Regina Mills?" A man that looked to be about Emma's age approached her. "Neal Cassidy." He held out his hand and she shook it before following him to a table. " _At least this place isn't some hole in the wall._ " The mayor thought to herself. "I ordered chai tea. I hope you don't mind, it's my favorite thing here."

"Not at all. I'm not a big coffee drinker myself." Regina answered as a waitress came over with their drinks. "So, Emma. Is she okay?" The man leaned forward anxiously. "For now she is. How did you know her?" Regina asked. "We were in the same foster home together for awhile. The foster parents were abusive, so we both escaped and set out on our own. Seeing as we were almost 18, the law didn't really try to stop us."

Regina nodded, patiently waiting for him to continue. "We started dating, and we both got jobs as bail bonds people. The year after that was great. We were in love, we made good money, lived in a good neighborhood. We had finally made it." He paused to take another drink of his tea. "Emma says that she got arrested for a crime she didn't commit. I assume you were the man that framed her?" Regina interjected.

Neal stared at her for a second, confused. "She told you that? That's all wrong. Did she- did she mention anything about a baby?"

"That's actually the reason she came to Storybrooke. She said she had given her son Henry up for adoption since she was so young. She had told me that I adopted him and he showed her how to find our town." The mayor set the grey and red scarf she had swiped from Emma's room on the table.

Neal started to cry and he picked the scarf up carefully. "Emma got pregnant a year after we started dating. We were both really happy to start a family and so we started buying baby things to get ready. We found out we were going to have a boy. But one night Emma woke up with really bad pains in her stomach. I took her to the hospital and it turns out she lost the baby."

Regina could feel her own eyes filling with tears, and she quickly wiped them away. "This was going to be his first baby blanket. It was mine but Emma loved it so I gave it to her." He wiped his eyes and set the scarf down. "Was Henry the name you had picked out?" Regina asked, her voice shaking. Neal nodded, closing his eyes.

Now tears were falling down her face, and she couldn't do anything to stop them. "Emma didn't accept that our son was gone. At first I thought she was just depressed. She spent a lot of time in the nursery we set up, rocking with this scarf in her arms. But then she started talking about him as if he was really here, like she could see him. She would come home with new baby clothes and toys."

" _Poor Emma. I can't imagine the pain she must have gone through._ " Regina thought, her heart breaking. "I suggested she go see a counselor and get some help. She wouldn't listen to me. Every time I would try to tell her Henry wasn't real, she would get upset and yell at me. Sometimes she would even get violent. So I took her to the hospital, and they recommended she be moved into a mental facility. So I took her. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do but I did it because I loved her. I still do."

Regina reached her hand out and grasped his. "I am so sorry." She said. He gently squeezed her hand, trying to regain his composure. "I wasn't ever able to visit Emma because I wasn't considered family but when I learned she got out I started looking for her, hoping she was okay."

"How did she find me? How did she find Storybrooke?" Regina asked. Neal shook his head. "We talked about going to Storybrooke way back when we were in the foster system. We thought it sounded like a good place to settle down. It was a small town; we could start over. Emma must have got it in her head that she gave our baby up for adoption and thought Storybrooke is the place he would be. She was never in jail. She was in the mental institution for a year. I've been looking for her the past 9 years."

"But how did she find me? She knew who I was. She knew where I lived." Regina said, disturbed. "Emma had a talent for finding people. She must have researched Storybrooke and found you. You said you were the mayor, right?"

Regina nodded. "It makes sense Emma would pick the most important person in town. Look, I'm sorry for whatever she did to cause you trouble. She would never hurt anyone and she's a great woman, she just- something snapped inside her head and now she doesn't know what's real anymore."

"I let her stay with me for the past couple weeks. I was hoping to help her, but she attacked me one day. She thought I hurt him. She's in the hospital right now so she can't hurt herself or anyone else. I thought I could help her accept that he wasn't real, but I just made matters worse. For her and myself. I got to know this woman, she became my friend. And now because of me she's hit rock bottom."

"Could I come back with you and see her? It's just I've been looking for so long I can't just turn away. I love her."

"Of course." Regina answered. Soon, the two of them were headed out of Boston back to Storybrooke. They stopped at the hospital, and Neal followed her in. "How is she?" The mayor asked Whale. "We have her restrained and sedated, but she's awake." He led the two into the back. "Are you okay?" Graham asks, following behind them. "I'm alright." Regina took his hand. Whale stopped in front of a room. Regina went in with Neal behind her.

Emma's eyes lit up when she saw the brunette, but when she saw Neal her face darkened. "What is he doing here?" She demanded. "I found him and he told me everything, Emma." Regina said gently. "Emma- "Neal stepped forward. "Get away from me!" She yelled at him. "Emma, he's here to help." Graham said. "He locked me up and abandoned me! He didn't care about me or Henry!" Emma screamed, tears filling her eyes.

"Emma, I love you. I only put you in that hospital because I didn't know what else to do. Our son died but yet you kept acting like he wasn't gone."

"Shut up. I hate you!" The blonde started sobbing, and Regina felt her heart break. "I lost my baby. I wasn't able to save him." She cried. Neal loosened the restraints and held Emma in his arms as she clung to him. Regina stepped out with Graham to give the two some privacy, needing a break herself.


	5. Chapter 5

Regina left the hospital and went outside, trying to get as much distance between Emma and her as possible. Graham quickly followed behind. "Regina, are you alright?" He asked worriedly. The brunette ignored him and kept walking. She didn't know what to do. She had no idea how to help Emma now. The blonde hated her anyway, I guess she should be happy. She could finally go back to her normal life.

But what was her normal life? Spending days alone, no friends, no family. When Emma came around the mayor actually had a friend, someone to talk to. She looked forward to getting off for the day and cooking dinner for someone. Emma introduced her to Disney movies, and although Regina had thought they were absolutely corny and ridiculous, she loved watching them just to make fun and tease Emma playfully. "Regina!"

" _What?"_ Regina snapped, turning around to face the sheriff. Graham looked at her sadly and grabbed a tissue from his pocket, handing it to her. Regina refused the offer and instead wiped her tears away with her hand. "I just can't go back there. She hates me. Besides, her boyfriend is in there now; he knows how to handle this better than me."

"Regina." Graham said gently. The mayor looked up at him. "You love her."

"That's ridiculous." Regina shook her head and began walking again. "No it's not. You kept up this charade to protect her heart, invited her to stay with you. Chased down a stranger to help her. When you're with her, or even when you talk about her, you light up. You should really see yourself when you're talking to her. It's like nothing else in the world matters."

Regina slowly nodded, looking down at the ground. "Maybe I do." Her voice cracked, and she felt a stream of tears flooding her face. "But I don't know how to fix this."

Graham gently put his hands on her shoulders. "Go to her. Stay with her. Even if she's upset, she'll be glad you're there." He said. "Thank you, Graham." Regina said. He smiled and walked away to his car.

The brunette went back inside to see Neal just leaving. "What's going on?" She stopped him in the waiting room. She noticed the man looked like he was ready to cry. "Emma uh, asked me to leave. She's just really upset. I think she's finally accepting what happened, but she's still hurt. I understand that. I'm gonna head back to Boston. Just please keep me updated, if you will."

Regina nodded and watched him go. _"Poor guy. All he wanted was a family and now he lost them."_ The woman thought. Archie came over to greet her. "I just talked to Emma. She's willing to do a few sessions with me a week, so that's a start. She'll be able to go home tomorrow, and I've scheduled our first appointment for next week. She's asking for you."

Surprised, Regina thanked him and slowly walked back to Emma's room. She stood outside the door for a moment, trying to work up the courage to go in. _"Just be her friend. That's what she needs right now."_ Regina told herself, pushing open the door. "Hey." She said to the blonde. "Hi." Emma said quietly, looking down at the bed. The mayor thought about asking if she was okay, but she quickly ruled that out as a dumb question.

So she pulled up a chair next to Emma's bed and waited for her to speak. "I asked Neal to go." The blonde finally spoke up. "He told me. He said he was going back to Boston." Regina said. Emma nodded, and the brunette noticed a few tears fall down her face. "I just- um- I couldn't be around him. It just brought up a lot of bad memories for me."

"That's understandable." Regina said carefully. "He told me about Henry. About what really happened. I guess in my heart I always knew that something was wrong, that I wasn't really seeing him. But this little boy- even though he wasn't real, he _was_ to me. He was my son, he- "Emma cut off, breaking down in tears. Regina scooted closer and put her arms around the blonde.

"I shouldn't have pretended like he was real. I'm sorry, I really am. I just liked having you around. I was lonely I guess, and you coming into my life changed that. I guess I should have told you the truth." The mayor said. "I'm sorry too. I don't hate you, Regina. I was just upset. I wanted a family so bad, and I failed. I guess I'm just meant to be alone."

Regina looked down at Emma, feeling her heart break. "No you don't, Emma. No one deserves to be alone. And you won't be. You can live with me; we can work on this together. We can be a family, if that's what you want."

"Thank you." Emma's voice was barely a whisper, but Regina heard it. She hugged her closer and kissed her head gently. Things weren't okay right now, but they would be. This was a whole new beginning, and this time, they weren't alone. They had each other. And right now, that's all they really needed.


End file.
